What people say about us !

Great reviews and updated information. Thanks!

Lata

Aaj Ki Aawaz

Radiia has shut shop.... her PR business!!! She was really good at it.... so good that despite all the scum that came out she kept herself out of 'the headlines'!! She also kept CBI at bay.... she had the contacts!!! But seems in the end these very contacts or you can also call them her prized customers advised her to call it a day..... they did not want to fire her.... rumored that they gave her a huge golden handhsake!!! What made her a success.... do not believe Sharad Yadav's yarn that it was her perfume that caused a hypnotic effect.. he said that after she left his Office the smell on her perfume had lingered on a good hour!!! Radiia's plus points were her gift of the gab.... charm.....and her love for gossip (in this trade gossiping is a plus)!!! She will in all probability shift to UK......she has the money to life the life of a Lord!!! A little bird says all this time , after the Radiia Tapes revelation, she's been selling assets and a major chunk of the money has 'already flown' and very soon she too will fly away!!! Once she goes CBI will file a case against her.... of course CBI's plea to extradite her will fail... the UK Court will say 'she stayed on in India after the Tapes became public and CBI did not arrest her ... so why now'????

For all she'll start a PR firm in London.... first client Mush who needs a PR job badly!!

Because he's yearns to go back to Pakistan .... desperate literally madly!!

F1 was indeed a cruel joke on India!!!! Okay the rich and famous had a whale of a time!!! The F1 Drivers saw the difference between the two India's and even commented on this.....was more like a slap on our faces!! The racetrack has been built on farm land .... a fact the overseas many find funny..... viewing the fact that India is fast losing the battle on the food front... diverting precious cultivatable land for race tracks in indeed stupid!!!! There were remarks like 'India should have let the Private Sector hold the CWG... would have saved India's name'! Tax exemption should not be given to F 1.... F1 is a tamaasha .... nothing more or less.... and the same goes for IPL!!!

F 1 is a joke on India's poor... very cruel and poor joke!!!

It's like at their gareebi India's rich ne kiya India's poor ko poke!!

31ST October is a day many Sikhs will never forget.... and a day that many of their Indian brethren and sisters will never forget!!! More than 4000 Sikhs were cruelly massacred --mobs were incited with chants that Sikhs have killed your Mother now teach them a lesson they will never forget!!! Kids were fried in kadais in front of their parents ....... kids were disembowelled ......... burning tyres were put around the necks of Sikhs (a near picture is given in the book 'When a Big Tree shook Delhi')!!!! Congress in unrepentant and so is Gandhi family!!!! Getting a puppet Sikh PM to apologize for the genocide can hardly be accepted as an apology!! And imagine Sonia has the audacity to call Modi Maut ka Saudagar...... at most Modi is accused of going slow on the rioters... Rajiv is accused of inciting the genocide and giving murderers a free hand for 48 hours!!! And then the cover up!!!

I bow my head in memory of those who were massacred in the 1984 genocide!!

When inhumanness took humanity for a ride!!

Bharat Kumar
aaj_ki_aawaz@yahoo.com

Does PM wants to settle any minister as a second liner?
Until a few days back, whenever Prime Minister, Dr. Man Mohan Singh went abroad on official tours, it was Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee & Union Home Minister P Chidambaram who used to look after his charge. There are questions in the corridors of power that what issue (s) have come up that Dr Man Mohan Singh has got a notification issued through the Cabinet Secretary that in his absence only senior ministers will look after his charge not Pranab Mukherjee and that the CCPA meeting will be organized only in the case of national interest and emergency. Does the PM want to settle any Minister as a second liner for himself? This question is also a hot topic of discussion.

Prithvi firm on getting 'Home' back
Maharashtra Chief Minister, Prithviraj Chavan has again asserted the proposal for getting Home Ministry with the ruling Congress. Though the coalition partner NCP has repeatedly shown reisistance, Maharashtra CM is very firm that he wants the key Home portfolio with the Congress.

Manikrao Thakre trying hard to be Maharashtra CM?
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee leader Manikrao Thakre is again making concerted efforts to become CM of Maharashtra, say sources in Congress high command.

Churn in Vidharbha politics?
There is a churn in Vidharbha politics with the Nagpur strongman Datta Meghe calling it quits to active politics. Meghe, it is heard is eyeing for a gubernatorial posting and has vacted the seat for his son Sameer who is presently a Youth Congress leader.

BUREAUCRACY

Bhattacharya to be new Secretary Fertilisers
Latest information says that A Bhattacharya is being appointed Secretary Fertilisers. Infact, Minister Fertilisers who hails from Tamil Nadu was keen to have A Bhattacharya as his Secretary. Bhattacharya is also from the 1977 batch IAS officer from Tamil Nadu cadre.

Pradeep Kumar Chaudhery appointed Secretary, Industrial Policy and Promotion
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Pradeep Kumar Chaudhery, IAS (HY:77), presently Special Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
(We said this on September 12)

Ms. Manjula Prashar is new Secretary (Posts)
Ms. Manjula Prashar (IPoS 1975 batch) who presently is Member (Operations) will be taking over as Secretary Posts on November 1,2011.Ms.Parashar will be succeeding Ms. Radhika Doraiswamy (IPoS..74) who retired as Secretary Posts on October 31,2011.
(We said this on September 22, 2011)

Where is the file of 1978 batch empanelment?
The file of the empanelment of 1978 batch IAS officers to the rank of Secretary in the Government of India has so far not reached to the DoPT. What could be the reason?.

Now representation galore over empanelment
About half a dozen IAS officers belonging to 1978 batch have reportedly decided to send representation for putting their names in the list of Secretary in the Government of India.

SPG Chief B V Wanchoo retires
SPG Chief B V Wanchoo has retired on Monday.1976 batch West Bengal cadre IPS officer served the SPG for several years.

Orders of Durga Prasad in a day or two
Orders of K Durga Prasad as new SPG Chief are being issued in a day or two.He is 1981 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.

Rajneesh Kumar is new PS to Finance Minister
Rajneesh Kumar has assumed charge as new Private Secretary (PS) to Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on October 31, 2011. He is an IAS officer of 1997 batch who belongs to the Himachal Pradesh cadre.
(We said this on October 21, 2011)

Rajeev Agrawal is Member SEBI
Rajeev Agrawal IRS-IT officer of 1983 batch has joined as a Member of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on October 31, 2011. Agrawal was earlier in the Forward Markets Commission (FMC).
(We said this on July 6, 2011)

Will Nikhil Kumar resign to join active politics?
There is a buzz that Nagaland Governor Nikhil Kumar who is former IPS officer of 1963 batch is resigning to join the active politics. One can only wait and watch.

S.K.Goel takes charge as Chairman,CBEC on October 31, 2011
S.K.Goel has taken over the charge as Chairman,Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) on October 31, 2011.S.K. Goel had joined Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Central Excise) in the year 1975. He has handled various assignments in the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance all over the country. Prior to his appointment as Chairman, he had been working as Member (Customs) in CBEC, responsible for formulation of policy concerning administration of Customs law, Customs tariff and procedural matters relating to Customs duties. During his chequered career of 36 years in this department he had handled the Human Resources function of the department as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) -cum-Director General. Earlier he had also worked as CVO in National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC). He has also worked on deputation, inter alia, in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
Narcotics Control Bureau. His contribution to the department in various assignments of policy making in the Board's office - tariff and legislation work in the Tax Research Unit, and later on as Commissioner (PAC) playing a role of active interface between C&AG and Public Accounts Committee, drafting of legislation
relating to narcotics during his tenure in the Narcotics Control Bureau were noteworthy. He was instrumental in initial setting up of Customs & Central Excise Commissionerate, at Rajkot and was responsible for setting up of Allang Ship-breaking yard and prescribing the related custom procedures. During his tenure as Commissioner of Customs, Central Excise & Service Tax, Noida, he had successfully set up the Customs work procedures for two Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and three Container Freight Stations (CFSs) at Dadri & Surajpur.During his stint in Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Goel had supervised detection of several big gold and silver smuggling cases and commercial fraud case involving duty evasion of more than ` 100 crore. Also during his posting in Jodhpur, had handled Anti-smuggling work covering the entire Indo-Pak border in Rajasthan and supervised several seizure cases of gold, silver, currency and narcotics. As Chief Commissioner in Mumbai Customs Zone-II, he had handled Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House, Nhava Sheva which is the biggest Custom House in India as also Air Cargo Complex, Sahara, Mumbai which is the biggest Air Cargo Complex for Customs work in India.S.K. Goel is a recipient of the President's Award for Specially Distinguished Services. His contribution in the field of International Narcotics Training programmes was appreciated by the US Drugs Enforcement Administration who awarded him Certificate of Appreciation. His appointment to the position of Chairman in CBEC is expected to support the continued ongoing tax reforms, trade facilitation, increased tax payer services and automation for enhancing operational efficiency of the department and improve the functioning of intelligence and enforcement agencies, and thus improve overall tax compliance and satisfaction levels of tax-paying public.

Sudesh Kumar transferred by BSF as IG, FHQ, NewDelhi
Sudesh Kumar IG Shillong Frontier in Border Security Force (BSF) has been transferred as IG, FHQ, New Delhi. He is an IPS officer of 1987 batch who belongs to the Kerala cadre.

Justice Sikri to be CJ of Karnataka High Court?
Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri is likely to be appointed Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court in a couple of months.

Ms. Anita Shah to join BARC November 9, 2011
Ms.Anita Shah who on central deputation had been appointed as Internal Financial Advisor (IFA) in the newly formed Nuclear Recycle Group (NRG) under BARC, Department of Atomic Energy will be taking charge on November 9, 2011.So far she was posted as Senior Deputy Accountant General (SDAG) in the office of Principal Accountant General of Andhra Pradesh. Ms. Anita Shah is an officer of 1996 batch who belongs to Indian Audit & Accounts Service. She was earlier (from 2004-2009) Financial Advisor (FA) for Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam & had handled budget of 1500 crores
(We said this on October 4,2011)

Bhawesh Kumar Singh is IG (Law & Order), UP Police
Bhawesh Kumar Singh has joined as IG (Law&Order) UP Police, Head Quarter, Lucknow. He is an IPS officer of 1987 batch who belongs to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Ms. Veena Kumari tipped to be Director, Steel
As the grapevine has it, Ms. Veena Kumari Meena - Secretary to Uttar Pradesh Governor, on central deputation, is poised to be a Director, Steel. She is an IAS officer of 1993 batch who belongs to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

A.K. Rana is PCCF-HOF,Manipur
A.K. Rana who till recently on central deputation was Bhopal based Regional CCF in the GoI's Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has joined as PCCF-HOF to Manipur Government on October 31, 2011. He is an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of 1979 batch who belongs to the Manipur -Tripura (M-T) cadre.

Rajkumar Viswakarma to now look after the charge of IG, Pers
Rajkumar Viswakarma, IG Pers, CRPF, FHQ, New Delhi will now look after the complete charge of IG, Pers, in place of D K Pathak, ADG. He is an IPS officer of 1984 batch who belongs to the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Vivek Shrivastava promoted as Director, Tourism and Catering
Vivek Shrivastava, Joint Director, Tourism and Catering Ministry of Railway has been promoted as Director, Tourism and Catering. He is an IRTS officer of 1998 batch.

Sanjay Sinha soon to join as DGP, Tripura
Sanjay Sinha who so far was in charge of security in Intelligence Bureau (IB) will shortly be joining as new DGP, Tripura. He is an IPS officer of the 1978 batch who belongs to the Manipur-Tripura cadre.

Shyam Sundar Chaturvedi likely to be promoted as IG, SPG
Shyam Sundar Chaturvedi, DIG, Special Protection Group (SPG) Head Quarters is likely to be promoted as IG, SPG, HQ, New Delhi. He is an IPS officer of 1990 batch who belongs to the Manipur Tripura cadre.

Govt to appoint Information Commissioners in Central Information Commission
The Union government is contemplating to appoint Chief Information Commissioner and up to ten Information Commissioners in the recently constituted Central Information Commission to exercise the powers conferred on and to perform the functions assigned to it under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (the Act). It is located in Delhi.

DoPT asks Ministries/Departments to send proposals requiring ACC approval timely
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has asked the Ministries/Departments to send the proposals requiring ACC approval two months in advance of the date of occurrence of vacancy. Saying that the delay on the part of the Ministries/Departments in submitting the ACC proposals has been viewed seriously by the ACC.

Saikia is new Police Commissioner Ahemdabad
S K Saikia has been appointed Ahmedabad police commissioner. ADG Saikia is a 1977 batch IPS officer.

Didar Singh retires
Dr A Didar Singh (PB: 1976), Secretary Overseas Indian Affairs,has retired on Monday on superannuation.

IPS postings in Sikkim
T.Norbu ADGP, Planning and Modernisation has been transferred and posted as ADGP, CID . A.Sudhakar Rao IGP, Communication and Computer will also look after the work of Planning and Modernisation .

Anand appointed Director in Cabinet Secretariat
Anand R has been appointed as the Director in the Cabinet Secretariat. He is a 1994 batch IPoS officer.

Stuck again! Plan to connect Nariman point to suburbs
The plan to connect Nariman Point in South Mumbai to Madh Marve in the suburbs is again stuck with the locals and fishermen putting spoke in the wheel. The Rs 600 cr plan is likely to remain on paper considering the pressure from major vote bank group against the proposal.

CAT stays transfer order of IPS officer
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has stayed the transfer order of 1993 batch IPS officer in West Bengal, Gyanwant Singh, till 14 December.

NMDC's spectacular 2nd quarter performance (UPDATED)
The un-audited financial results of the 2nd quarter of 2011-12 approved by the Board of Directors of the NMDC in its meeting held on October 31,2011 reveal remarkable improvement in performance of the Company of which Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) is Rana Som. The Company's production and
sales of iron ore during the 2nd quarter touched 69.92 lakh tonnes and 75.78 lakh tonnes respectively which represent about 52% and 47% improvement in both production and sales over that of the corresponding quarter of previous year.In addition to achieving better physical performance, the Company has posted a
turnover of Rs.3062 crore, gross profit of Rs.2906 crore and net profit after tax of Rs.1963 crore in the second quarter of 2011-12 against turnover of Rs.2460 crore, gross profit of Rs.2056 crore and net profit after tax of Rs.1379 crore representing an improvement of 24% in turnover, 41% in gross profit and 42% in
net profit after tax in comparison to second quarter of 2010-11. This is the best ever 2nd quarter results for the Company since inception. The Board of Directors has approved payment of interim dividend (first) of Re.1.00 per equity share for the financial year 2011-12. The company has been pursuing all its expansion programmes and NMDC as part of its forward integration programme and value addition is setting up a 3 MTPA steel plant at Nagarnar in Chhattisgarh, for which four major packages have been finalized and awarded.

Vohra appointed Ambassador Republic of Bolivia (UPDATED)
Manpreet Vohra, presently Ambassador of India to Peru has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Bolivia, with residence in Lima.

Ashok Das appointed Ambassador to Iceland (UPDATED)
hri Ashok Das, presently Consul General of India in Vancouver has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Iceland.

K Jose Cyriac assigned addl charge of Secy, Pharmaceuticals (UPDATED)
Additional charge of Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has been assigned to K. Jose Cyriac, Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizer, for a period of three months with effect from November 01, 2011. He is an IAS officer of 1977 batch of Kerala cadre.

S N A Zaidi gets addl charge of Secy, Overseas India Affairs (UPDATED)
Additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs has been given to S N A Zaidi, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, for a period of three months with effect from November 01, 2011. He is an IAS officer of 1976 batch of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

A S Chouhan promoted as CCF in Rajasthan (UPDATED)
A S Chouhan (IFS), Conservator of Forest, Office of Chief Conservator of Forest, Kota, has been promoted and posted as Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF), Joint Forest Management, Jaipur.

U K Bansal over as DG BSF (UPDATED)
U K Bansal has taken over as new DG BSF.1974 batch UP cadre IPS officer Bansal has succeeded Raman Srivastava.
( We said this on August 29 )

T. Balakrishnan ACS, Kerala retires (UPDATED)
T. Balakrishnan who was Additional Chief Secretary of Industries & Commerce and IT with the Government of Kerala retired on October 31, 2011. He is an IAS officer of 1980 batch who belongs to the Kerala cadre.

(DEBATE)
LOKPAL BILL AND BUREAUCRACY
The debate on Lokpal Bill and the subsequent anger and protests across the country led by veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare has instilled a fear of accountability among the bureaucracy. How should the bureaucrats react to the situation?
Mail your views to suresh.mehrotra@yahoo.com or mehrotra.suresh@gmail.com

CORPORATE

Is Ambani planning PR firm?
It is heard that that Mukesh Ambani is planning to take a stake in a PR firm or fund to start up a firm to handle the image management and PR of Reliance and sister concerns.

Who forced Nira Radia to quit Vaishnavi ?
It is heard that corporate lobbyist Nirra Radia has been forced to quit Vashnavi and wind up the business because it will unearth a lot of mess in the corporate circles and it is the Tata group that has forced her to shut the business in lieu of handsome considerations.

Ms. Nupur Mitra takes charge CMD in Dena Bank
Ms.Nupur Mitra who so far was Executive Director (ED) of the Indian Overseas Bank(IOB) has joined the as CMD of the Dena Bank on November 1,2011.She had assumed charge in advance as ED on October 17, 2011 to familiarize herself with Dena Bank's working. She has succeeded D.L.Rawal Chairman & Managing Director (CMD)of the Dena Bank who retired on October 31,2011.
(We said this on April 26,2011)

Rear Admiral (Retd) AK Verma is new CMD GRSE
Rear Admiral (Retd) AK Verma, VSM after serving the Indian Navy for 34 years has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata on Tuesday.
(We said this on June 3)

Vigilance Awareness Week launched at SAIL
Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) Chairman C.S. Verma inaugurated Vigilance Awareness Week 2011, to be observed from October 31 to November 5, 2011 by administering the pledge "to bring about integrity and transparency, and eradication of corruption in all spheres of life" to employees of SAIL Corporate Office at Ispat Bhavan, Delhi on October 31, 2011. SAIL Director (Personnel) B.B. Singh, SAIL Director (Commercial) S. Mukherjee, SAIL Director (Finance) Anil Chaudhary and SAIL Chief Vigilance Officer C.B. Paliwal were among the dignitaries present on the occasion. In his inaugural address, Verma underlined the role of PSUs as the custodians of public money and the need to maintain fairness, equity and transparency at all levels. While reiterating the national motto of Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone triumphs), Verma emphasised on the need for strengthening of the entire Vigilance apparatus and streamlining procedures for the ease of stakeholders. He encouraged employees to brook no delay in decision making and help create a transparent and vibrant organisational culture. In line with the Central Vigilance Commissioner's advice of focusing on 'Participative Vigilance' and continuing an annual tradition, various programmes and events will be organised across all plants and units of SAIL during the coming week.

Jaiswal appointed GM, Howard Sarovar Portico, Agra
Sandeep Jaiswal has been appointed as General Manager of Howard Sarovar Portico, Agra.

Gupta appointed Director, Ruchira Papers Ltd
Ruchira Papers Limited has on October 31, 2011 appointed Vipin Gupta, as Director of the Company.

Agarwala resigns as Director, Linc Pen & Plastics Ltd
The Board of Linc Pen & Plastics Ltd has approved resignation of P R Agarwala from the Directorship of the Company.

Sethi resigns as Director, Subex Ltd
Vinod R. Sethi has resigned as Director of Subex Ltd on account of personal reasons.

Shetiya resigns as Director (Works), Poona Dal & Oil Industries Ltd
Rajendra D. Shetiya has resigned as Director (Works) of Poona Dal & Oil Industries Ltd with immediate effect.

Yang appointed Addl. Director, Redington (India) Ltd
Redington (India) Ltd has appointed Lin, Tai - Yang as an Additional Director of the company.

Two directors cease to be on Board of Redington (India) Ltd
Huang Chi Cheng and Steven A Pinto have resigned as directors of Redington (India) Ltd.

James Hotels Ltd appoints two addl. directors
James Hotels Ltd has appointed Daljit Singh Sidhu and Barjesh K. R. Duvedi as additional directors of the company w.e.f. October 1, 2011 and October 13, 2011 respectively.

Ray resigns as Director, Nagarjuna Agrichem Ltd
Sukhendu Ray has resigned as Director of Nagarjuna Agrichem Ltd w.e.f. October 29, 2011.

Vijayaraghavan resigns as Whole-time Director, Nagarjuna Agrichem Ltd
N. Vijayaraghavan has resigned as Whole-time Director of Nagarjuna Agrichem Ltd. However, he will continue as Director on the Board of Directors of the company.

Vedi appointed Director, Proinvestment Services Ltd
Gurdev Singh Vedi has been appointed as Director of Proinvestment Services Ltd w.e.f. September 30, 2011.

Mayawati would never come back ?

Ms. Mayawati is loosing in coming Vidhan Sabha electionsin Uttar Pradesh. She will never get more than 50 seats. All her top10 are very greedy officials. At present they are blackmailing and looting in govt system. They are never loyal to her. The persons surrounding her are never loyal to her. They are all opportunist and anti-dalit. The major vote bank is annoyed due to there misdeeds. All dalits want to take revenge from them.

Satya

Wrong notions about Railways

It is wrong to say that Railway Ministry has gone to dogs. Not very long ago, it was earning profit. It is like any other ministry where the men at the top matter most. We are lucky to have a board which is generally considered clean. MR is well meaning and efficient. He should develop a system whereby good suggestions reach him and get implemented fast. Projects of doubtful return should be axed. Critical sections which have the potential of increasing traffic capacity should be converted on priority.

WW

Consultancy Scams in GoI ?

Several ministries/departments/autonomous organization under GOI,are illegally appointing non-technical officers as Consultants immediately after their retirement . The discretionary powers are being misused for rewarding the favourites. Will the GoI look into these latest scams?

G V Rao

Major source of corruption at CBDT

Local postings of officers whether at the level of ITO or the Commissioner is the major source of corruption at CBDT. It is always "my men" who get to loot and get all the plum postings. There is not any policy requiring any posting to be made in accordance with the domain knowledge, ACR rating or any such functional needs. CBDT should tell when was the last time they saw the ACR of a group of officers before they made the postings. Should critical functions like Investigation, Central be doled out like they were spoils of power.

Greeta

Country's population is 1.20 crore

Dave before making any categorical statement realize that the country's population is 1.20 crore. The % age of Government servant to population is only 1%. In USA it is 5%, Canada 7% and China 4%. If you think that I am a fool then go through the 'Google' site. In fact if proper number of government servant are employed, punctuality maintained seriously and video cameras installed, the problems of citizen will reduce to a great extent.

A Srivastava

Views expressed in Aaj ki Aawaz need to be moderated

The views expressed by your author in Aaj ki Aawaz needs to be moderated. The language used is very brash. The author is entitled to his view but he needs to use refined language. It sounds absolutely anti-congress, and am not sure whether your web site should be used for scoring political brownie points

Prashant Nikam

Is information related to outsourcing covered under the RTI Act?

The appellant sought certain information about written test including the marks obtained, both sides of O.M.R. answer sheet, answer key of his question booklet and cut-off marks of every category. The CPIO refused the OMR answer sheet and key answer claiming that they do not possess the required information as the examination was held by the another agency which conducted the examination on behalf of Bank. The CIC observed that, if any other body is given the job to conduct examinations it must be in complete control of the Public Authority. The Commission directed the PIO to use the full force of the law and obtain the sought information. In case the examining body refuses to part with the information the Commission recommended that the Bank should consider either changing the examining body or ensuring it is able to access all information with respect to the examination.
Comments
The Government organization cannot deny the information merely on the grounds that they have outsourced for the job and do not possess the information. If any other body is given the job to conduct various functions, it must be in complete control of the Public Authority and the information available with such sources should be made available under RTI.
[Mr. Ashwani Kumar Avasthi v. Vijaya Bank in CIC/SM/A/2011/001455/SG/15158]

- Weekly article by Dr. (Mrs.) Anuradha Verma
(dranuradhaverma@yahoo.co.in), RTI Consultant to IIM, Indore and Co-author of the book: RIGHT TO INFORMATION - LAW AND PRACTICE by Taxmann. (The views are Personal)